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Zambia |
MEDIA
Zambia’s private media is increasingly coming under government attack
as
the country heads towards its third multi-party general elections
The ruling Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) is set to face its stiffest electoral challenge at the polls since the party first assumed power in 1991. The MMD recorded a landslide victory 10 years ago, thanks to popular resentment against the ruling socialist party, the United National Independence Party (UNIP), of Zambia’s first president, Kenneth Kaunda.
In the second multi-party elections in 1996, the MMD won again, but this was because most opposition parties boycotted the polls alleging pre-election irregularities by the MMD.
This year’s polls are set to be particularly difficult for the MMD. Not only is the MMD increasingly unpopular among ordinary voters, the party is also embroiled in serious internal wrangles that have seen many influential members leave. There are more opposition parties now than during the last two elections. A number of these parties have a huge following and, therefore, pose a great threat of defeating the MMD.
Naturally, the MMD is trying everything to re-assert itself to ensure that it retains the reins of power. Therein lies problems for the independent media.
In the build-up to the elections, the government has embarked on a vicious — albeit unpopular campaign to silence the country’s vocal private press and journalists who are not afraid to speak their minds. All this is being done despite official rhetoric to respect the constitutional provision guaranteeing media freedom.
«Generally, the relationship between the news media and the government has been hostile, and this hostility has been directed more at the privately-owned media», observes Fackson Banda, regional director of PANOS (Southern Africa), an international NGO involved in the promotion and dissemination of information for development.
Times are hard for the private media.
On 19 August, the Ministry of Information withdrew the operating licence of the privately-owned Radio Phoenix, on charges that the station had not paid statutory monthly operating fees to the government. What raised suspicion was that the ministry did not bother to give Radio Phoenix a reminder or prior warning about the impending move. It also later emerged that Zambia’s state-owned broadcasting station had not paid various taxes to the revenue authorities, but had not suffered the same punishment as Radio Phoenix. This revelation exposed the government to public accusations of discrimination and of attempting to suppress the independent media.
It is important to mention that Radio Phoenix is the only radio station in Zambia that adequately covers opposition parties and other government critics. The state-owned Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation is clearly biased in favour of the MMD, and rarely covers the Opposition fairly.
Radio Phoenix (whose licence was restored after a month) has become the «voice of the people» through its talk-shows which allow ordinary Zambians to freely express themselves on national issues.
Apparently, it is such programmes that incense the government because public comments tend to be largely critical of the MMD.
Prior to withdrawing Radio Phoenix‘s licence, the Information Minister had expressed «unhappiness» about the way the station was operating.
Financial sanctions
To further punish «erring» independent media, the government is also using «financial strangulation.» methods. This involves banning government ministries and departments from advertising in the private media. These «financial sanctions» are meant to deny the private media critical financial resources, in order to disable their operations. As a result, a number of private newspapers have folded up. This sad development appears to be fulfilling a warning by one senior Cabinet minister who said of the private media: «We shall hit them in their pockets where it hurts the most, and some will collapse.»
Masautso Phiri, editor of Today, a private weekly newspaper, says: «The government has found a way of financially punishing the private media, by denying us advertising revenue from government departments.» The Post, Zambia’s only independent daily, is perhaps the most victimised publication in the country. Since its launch in 1990, the newspaper has faced a series of legal suits, a number of them unsuccessful, brought about by government officials. At the time of writing, The Post‘s Chief Editor, Fred M’membe and reporter, Bivan Saluseki, are in court facing charges of defaming President Frederick Chiluba. The two journalists have been indicted, together with two members of an opposition party, following the publication of stories that personally linked Chiluba to the inexplicable disappearance in 1994 of US $4 million meant for the importation of relief maize from Canada.
The Government’s hostility towards the private media illustrates a generally bad picture. Zambia’s Press Laws are extremely harsh. The Penal Code gives the President wide powers to ban publications that he deems «a danger» to public interest. The code does not clarify what is the «public interest.» Neither does the State Security Act specify the «matters of state security» which, if revealed, can see journalists being prosecuted.
It’s left to the Prosecutor to interpret this current vagueness vis à vis the Code, and the interpretation is often based on personal prejudices. There is a danger that such discretionary powers can be abused, and has already led to a situation where even information of public interest has been suppressed. In 1996, President Chiluba banned issue number 404 of The Post which reported that the MMD intended to hold a national referendum to change the Republic’s Constitution.
The government has repeatedly spurned calls for the repeal of these colonial-era repressive laws. Obviously, this is because the authorities are benefiting by using the same laws to intimidate the private media and suppress information of public importance.
With the elections looming, the government is likely to become even more intolerant of independent journalists.
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